Barrowby
The Village on the Hill
The village of Barrowby is situated 2 miles W.N.W. of Grantham just off the A52 from Grantham to Nottingham, and separated from Grantham by the A1. The church commands a fine view of The Vale of Belvoir, and on a clear day it is possible to see the towers of Lincoln Cathedral on the horizon. A good defensive position, fresh water springs and, latterly, a position close to major north-south and east-west routes, together with its proximity to, but separation from, a town of reasonable size, have meant that Barrowby has proved to be a popular village through the centuries.
Barrowby derives its name from the Scandinavian languages, the old Norse being Bergebei, the Danish Bergr and the Anglo-Saxon Berg all meaning a hill and this, together with the "by" ending, indicates a Danish settlement. So although archaeological records indicate that people have lived here since at least Iron age times, the village got its present name from Viking settlers, sometime before the first millennium.
The first written record of Barrowby occurs in the Domesday Book of AD 1086. The Survey states 'In Bergebei Godwin has 8 carucates of land (assessed) to the geld. There is land for 15 teams. Robert has 5 teams there (in demesne) and 2 sokemen on (de) 10 bovates of this land and 50 villeins and 2 bordars having 10 teams and 1 mill rendering 3 shillings. There is a church there and a priest, and 60 acres of meadow. It was worth 12 pounds, now 16 pounds'
Our Church
Our church stands in the centre of a roughly circular site, and it at least the second Christian place of worship to be built there. The nature of the site suggests that it may have been a focus for pre-Christian worship, before the first church was built. It was quite common for the early church to take over sites which were already regarded as sacred and ‘convert’ them to use for Christian worship.
The church referred to in the Domesday Book was probably wooden. We have no way of knowing when it was built, or whether it was the first Christian building on this site. The only indication of that church is some Saxon carving embodied in the present church structure. The present church is an ironstone and limestone building of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, consisting of a nave, with two arcades of four bays each, a chancel, a tower and spire containing six bells.
Like most very old buildings which have been in constant use, unravelling its history is something of a detective story. Each generation has added, and sometimes taken away, the things which seemed important to them in their time, and the internal appearance of the church has undergone a number of more or less drastic changes. This is an indication that our church has housed, and still houses, a living, changing community of Christians, who have adapted the building in which they worship to suit the needs of their own times. This process of change has gone on throughout the church’s history, and continues today, as we seek to continue to be a worshipping and celebrating church serving God and our community into the third Millennium.
Even the present dedication of the church: ‘All Saints’ has had its variations, as at various times until the mid sixteenth century it was referred to by the older term ‘All Hallows’
Introduction
Use the links in the column on the left to navigate through the different chapters of our church history
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Navigation
All the historic records for Barrowby are now held at Lincolnshire Archives, please click here. to view the list of parish documents they have for Barrowby.